Why your profile picture can make or break a sale online

How often have you landed on a forum or blog and thought "The person in that picture doesn't look professional at all" and you decide right then and there you're not going to purchase anything? Well, even if you don't think like this, there are many of us out there who do. It's kind of sad that we judge people based on the first appearance because the people judge could actually be genuine and amazing, but we're writing them off and not purchasing what could be something amazing.

Your profile picture on a blog, website, forum, etc. could actually be pushing people off of your website due to it not being as trustworthy as possible. The better your profile picture for your industry, the more likely you'll generate sales, and that's just the honest truth lol.

People judge you based on a first appearance
Like I mentioned above, we all get judged on our appearance within the profile pictures we choose to use, and it's quite sad if you think about it. I don't have any professional headshots or pictures of me in a suit that I can use on LinkedIn, so I'm probably losing sales over there, but I'm generating more sales on my own websites because I have one of me smiling

Judging others is just a defense mechanism that is engrained in us that we can't really get rid of. It comes from growing up and wanting to stay safe, so we judge others in order to know if we can be around them or not, and that is the same when we're online.

The safer someone feels on your website means the more likely they'll sign up for your service or purchase your products.

The more professional you look, the better the chances of closing a deal
If you're on LinkedIn or some other platform where you're talking to business-related people, you will likely want a professional picture to portray who you are. If you don't have one of these you'll still want to use something that shows you're a friendly person, just like I did with a picture of me smiling.

If you're a web designer or SEO specialist you can usually get away with not having a suit and tie on in your picture, but that's about it. You can still look professional with a t-shirt on, just make sure your hair is done nice and if you have a beard be sure it's trimmed and you don't look homeless (I have this problem lol).

Using a logo as your profile picture works sometimes
When you don't have a professional picture to use, you can always use your logo until you get something to replace it. Your logo won't always seal the deal because people won't know who they are actually talking to, and that means you might lose some sales.

Whenever I sign up a local client for my SEO service, they always want to meet in person and I don't object to that at all, this is usually because they want to see who I really am and if my profile picture matches lol. They feel more secure when they see it's actually me and not some random image I found online, and they will get to know me a little better after their walls go down. If I hadn't been using a professional profile picture or my logo, I likely wouldn't have landed that client.

Always avoid a picture of you at a bar, party, or get together
If you want to be taken seriously, you can't use a picture of yourself you found on Facebook from a friends birthday party at a bar down the street. You need to use something that has you smiling, preferably with a nice backdrop like a fountain or forest, and you will be better off than any picture of you at a party.

It actually amazes me how many people use pictures like that as their profile images and think "I'm going to make millions online!". Well, you're not going to make much unless you're selling party packages lol

In conclusion
If you want to make more money online, you need to be seen as a professional in your field, and that all starts with your profile picture. The better your profile image is, the more likely you'll be contacted by others, and that means more business coming your way

Responses (66)

Completely agree. I've noticed that even if you are on online freelance sites. The problem for me personally is that I don't want to put my picture out there. I hate taking photos. For my sites I had a logo professionally designed. But I agree people tend to want to know how you look. Once they put a face to the site, they can then decide whether they can trust you or not. The more attractive you look the better.

I can say that most of the people wanted to do a business deal with a woman because they can feel more important and properly well handled than male. Whenever I do business transaction like in online shop I always check their profile first like their photos, their reviews and how they could handle customer. It is really a big factor for me how the profile looks like.

I do not agree with you on that my friend. I tend to think that the people that have the best content are judged on such and not on what they look like. If people were judged by their looks then it would be quite unfair since it is what they write or market that matters. This is freelance writing and not modelling.

This is what makes me uncomfortable too - especially in the online realm. I like having a degree of anonymity and even if I thought having my real picture up would result in more sales (I’m young-ish and female) I just don’t know that I’d be comfortable with that. I’d also prefer people to choose me for work based on the quality of what I produce rather than my gender or appearance.

Picture in profile is very useful in terms of business dealing because the buyer would see your personal identity and it is plus factor for you as a seller. Always put your own and authentic photo in your profile for security purposes also.

Yeah. I speak for my own experienced. I had an ebay account and I had huge number of my customer there. I am sure that one reason why I had many customers was because of my profile photo there. But having a good profile photo is not the whole reason only, other things that increased my clients was my sales experienced and good customer service.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Its good to know that you have an ebay account and have a large number of customers. Its not just the profile picture but the sales experiences and good customer service is your success secret.

You are caught in this discussion simply because you don’t have a profile picture and maybe you have your own reasons. But my take on users who cannot use their real picture is that they are hiding something. I don’t believe that they are ugly or doesn’t have a face that is attractive but it is more of another reason like they are on a camouflage that they don’t want to reveal their real identity.

I think my email sold me out once when I was seeking a job opportunity. Everything was lined up perfectly and all my documents were proper except for the fact that I sent them using an email whose picture was during my old campus days when I was a spoilt bad boy. One look at it and you would have dismissed me as someone who is not serious or reliable.

I agree with you completely. The first impression that one makes on the mind of a reader is through the picture on your profile. whenever one visits a site to go through any sort of content that person is bound to first look at your profile pic, even before reading what you have written in your article. if you have a good profile pic then it is more likely that the person will want to read your work. if on the other hand, you don't have an appropriate profile pic then the reader may not even read your work even if you have written some very good content worth reading.

Pictures paints a thousand words and if you have a service, a professional looking picture is the right thing to put in it. Customers / Clients often considers the profile photo as a factor in hiring and having a bad photo would diminish your chances of getting hired.

I do agree that first impression through photos lasts and has a big effect in getting sales. That's why I've seen a lot of guys who are even posting profile photos of good looking women just to entice customers who are easily suckered thinking that they're employing the services of a beautiful lady but in fact it was just a fake profile photo.

That’s so shady but I’m not surprised at all. I guess it’s a commentary on society that good looks sell products and people will always capitalize on what’s going to make them money. Sad but true it seems. I just don’t think I could be dishonest like that and basically lie to my customers.

Profile picture is one of the things that I look into before I make a purchase on a particular website. A serious online businessman would spend time and effort to make its profile picture look professional.

This is exactly what I was talking about and I very much completely agree with you on this about the online business owner trying everything humanly possible to make sure that his or her business online profile picture looks professional because it's the only best way such site would be made gullible for clients to trust it.

I was not aware of the fact that profile makes an impact. I always used to believe that people just look at the content and move on. Then some of the folks who are into guest blogging they told me always have a good template. And have a good intro too. So the profile has a place in the life of the people. You should understand that without profile one can't get much out in terms of the exposure.

Having a good photo form your profile will definitely give you a good impressions from your buyer. Aside from that they have an idea to whom where they doing s business. So I guess having a good photo is a plus factor.

Yes and that is why I have added my own image in the fiverr and few other marketplaces. it works out in some cases. But mostly I have found out that it may not be that easy. I guess depends on how the people work on the sales this could turn out to be lot different. Because it may also gives out privacy issues to people.

Yeah good photo in your profile would help to increase your customer but think about the experience you have and the quality of your customer service skills is another factor to make more business deals. Good profile photo only has a minimum percentage to attract more customers but what really the most important is your well experienced career from the past. In addition with that is your customer service skills and of course the quality of your selling item.

Not sure about customer experience though. Because that is not profile dependent. I think the issue is about remembering the brand. And people remember the faces better. So on that note profile picture makes sense. And the thing is that breaking a sale does not have to be with profile to be honest.

Yes that is exactly what I was referring. The brand for which the service is known for. So on that note I'd say that profile picture maybe of use. So one can surely be seen with making sales in such case if possible. I'd say people remember logos better than profile avatar.

In this day and age I think people even Google the names of who they're hiring, to get a picture of what they're like. Recruiters and employers will even lurk people's personal Facebook or Instagram accounts to see what they're like. It's just the way of the world we live in now - people judge by appearances and also what they can find out about you online.

I have to agree that linkedin has made people search each other. I dont however follow the approach for googling the candidate because not all candidates can have presence on web due to privacy. So one has to be careful of what they do and don't in such case. I find it a bit harder to establish online persona like that.

Exactly, your profile picture gives your business a sense of maturity and identity with how prospective customers see it and when you make use of an irresponsible and shabby profile picture, it's definitely going to affect your business negatively in all ways.

It's part of why my personal social media accounts are as private as they can get. Not that I put any inappropriate stuff on there, but employers here are known to personally search your name to try and find out what you're like from an online perspective. Now, I'm a bit too old for partying these days but in my 20's I did, and if you looked me up on social media you may have had a negative perception of me. I'd never want my personal life to intertwine with what a potential employer thought of me.

Yo are really right. Who would even want to deal with someone who has a weird and unprofessional profile picture? Selecting a proper profile picture represents you, it's like the first part of everything.

I agree. The profile picture says a lot about you. In other sites, you can be casual with your choice of appearance. But when it comes to business, you must look trustworthy and professional. You wouldn't want to give off the wrong impression.

This is why I make sure that my profile picture is simple yet sincere. We want ourselves to come across as who we are. Not as someone else.

In the case of profile pictures, we do often judge a book by its cover, so to speak! It's important to look professional and not jeopardize your success by choosing the wrong picture. Like you said, party pictures are a big no-go in my opinion - they just make people look like they're not serious at all. Nature backdrops are probably my favorite to use!

I couldn't agree more. It's good practice to have a professional looking photo as your profile picture to convince clients you can be trusted. First impressions last. Considering the fact that transactions are mostly online and you're both located at either side of the world. Another excellent article sir Tommy, I hope you don't get tired sharing valuable insights to us. All the best!

It is always about first impression and the manner of approaches. I won't want to go into business with anyone that is not taking their business serious as this is a sign that they won't always deliver when the need are called for. The professional profile picture should depict everything that concerns the business at hand.

Right. As I've stated earlier, first impressions do last. Having a professional looking profile picture, whether your very own photo or a well-made logo of your brand, somehow convince your potential customers and clients that you can be trusted.

Some businesses disregard logos and banners for their sites and I think that hurts their business more than anything. It's the first thing new customers will see and it forms the first impression of a company. In fact, I've actually bought stuff from a business just because their logos were good. It seemed like they were more professional and that sold me to buy their products instead of the mall ones.

You are right, and to add to your statement, it's not only the logo that has to look professional but every aspect of your business. From the Product listing, title, description, reviews, up to customer service. This way will somehow entice new customers to engage.

The more professional looking a business looks to be, the less "scam" looking they are. At least that's how I view businesses online. I occasionally forego purchasing from a site just because they use Comic Sans in their fonts. Like that's not really professional.

A person's profile does say something about the person. It says they think enough of the impression they make on others to have a profile pic. If there's one thing I can't stand is a ghost profile pic. If people follow me on social media and don't have a profile pic, I block them. It doesn't matter to me if it a real photo of you or an avatar or a flower or a picture of your dog or cat! But if you're a ghost? Forget about it!

! agree with you all of your statements about this topic. Your profile picture has a big impact on people. Your picture might reveal your personality. And having a professional look can give a very good impression to the viewers. And I think it is also a plus if you are a good looking person. Let us admit the fact that some people are more interested in good looking people. If you are beautiful or handsome then the chances of getting more inquiries about your service or product are higher.

I strongly agree with the last point. I don't think that anyone that is serious about doing business will use a picture that was taken at a bar as the profile picture. It do not make any sense to me as it shows that such persons may not be able to deliver on orders when the need arises.

Totally agree with this. Never post a picture a picture of you partying or in a beach as a profile picture online if you’re selling something. Make the best first impression and that start with the picture. Logo as a profile picture for me is the safest bet. If I am a client a would likely to buy products with the one with a nice clean and professional looking profile picture.

I totally agree with you. People have trust issues, and if you want them to trust you even for a bit, you have to at least show them your appearance. With even your profile picture on display, people would be at ease when you deal with them. As a customer too, I don't really like to buy online especially is the seller is very secretive about his background and appearance. You have to think how a customer feels and think.

When selling online we always use our brand logo. As we are indeed a brand in business. I think using a photo of yourself can work if you're selling personal items or advice like taxes, financial, astrology, etc. But ultimately, the problem with photos can be if a customer feels you're trying to become an internet celebrity or 'digi-famous.' Sometimes, people who post lots of photos end up falling into a thought process where promoting themselves becomes more important than promoting the brand. Next thing you know, people forget you're even overseeing or running a company. Or selling any products. I think this is why so many people in silicon valley who run companies don't have too many photos of themselves in circulation beyond a few magazine snapshots photographers may have captured of them at a conference or something. They don't want to overshadow their company with a personal quest for fame. Thus keeping the audience focused on the brand.

I agree with your article. When dealing with people on Facebook for example, sometimes I avoid the people who's profile picture is of a cartoon character or celebrity picture. I find that most of these people are scammers in a sense and I don't want to do business with those people. In a way, having your profile picture be your actual face is like a sign of trust between the both of you. (Says the guy with an Android photo)

I agree with you. I honestly, purchase to people who looks decent. If the picture of the person looks so unprofessional I usually think it's a scam. Thank you for your wonderful article, it will help a lot of people.

These points are spot on. I used to do freelance work pretty regularly through Thumbtack, which is a company that works to connect clients with local professionals in the areas they're wanting work done in. I.e., they connect brides with wedding photographers/DJs/Venues, etc. Or if you need your carpet removed, they'll connect you with professionals in that area.

The idea with the site is that the client puts up the information for what they're wanting done, and the professionals who want the job will quote their price to the client. The client has the opportunity to message the professionals and then choose one to run with for the job.

As soon as I started marketing myself through this platform, I had professional headshots taken of me and my business partner to use on our profile. It really helps to have a face associated with your business, as it provides a really personal touch (and lets prospective clients put a face to the person they're talking with). I use the photo as my email picture as well, so all correspondence with clients is uniform, and it makes everything so much more professional, too.

Profile picture is some kind of self branding, but in some cases it can tell much more about you as personor professional. I usualy avoid dealing with freelancers who have default website's profile picture and 99,9% i would avoid connecting or following some social media profiles with blank or default photo. That looks so fake and i feel like wasting my time to deal with accounts like that.

Well, sometimes @anwebservices a freelancer is still deciding on what pic to use, or is still in the process of obtaining a profile picture. I do agree however that when you're 'in business,' you shouldn't wait too long. There's also a phenomena of fake photos too though. There are a lot of freelancer profiles whose pictures you can tell don't mesh with how they describe their company or brand. Some of the grammar is very poor, but the photo is of a smart looking person in their 20's. Very odd.

I've always been unwilling to add a profile picture on many freelancer platforms because I didn't want anyone to hire me based on appearances. What I'm afraid of is being seen as inexperienced because I look much younger than I actually am.

However now that I know people may want to see how someone they'll be working with looks like to help them decide whether they'll hire, I'll have no choice but to upload a few profile pictures.

Your good profile will tell interest people which will also prove your credibility as long as you acquire good qualities to what industry you're in. Yes, we have to face the reality that having a good profile is the best way for people to trust you. Your profile is your number one weapon.

Yes, I agree with you. I have never thought of the importance of a profile picture before I read this. I guess it's the same as we put our photo in our resume or dress up nicely when we are having an interview, as the first impression is important to others, as it might be the first meeting to let someone decide whether we can be trusted. Though it's not good to judge a person by his/her look, besides reading the contents the person wrote, the profile picture is how we can imagine the person is. I think having logo as the profile picture is a good idea too, as it still looks professional and it can always present the company itself.

It didn’t occur to me that the avatar is one great way of adding value to your profile. Although I know of the so called first impressions but I didn’t realize that it can also apply in online life that the profile picture is the brand or trademark that I am carrying. Well, my profile is the same for all the sites that I had joined and most users there already know me by my name and my picture.

I agree that our profile picture really affects our online earnings because some people look at it very seriously, they tend to give much value and importance in it. I really remember what other people say that first impression really last that is why we should have to work with it, we must make our profile picture to be attractive as much as possible. If we can make it look professional then the better so that companies would be easily attracted to hire us when we are looking for a job online.

Why your profile picture can make or break a sale online: In doing something there is always a limitations. If someone posted on her profile a half/almost naked she/he attract the eyes of those who have fb. And earn numerous bad comments, though it hurts but its true. Your profile picture, tells what kind of person you are. You should take care of your reputation to avoid being harrass in public.

Your picture says a lot about you. If you are looking nice and decent in your picture, people will believe in you more. They will trust you if you look trustworthy. It's a natural thing that people are looking on the outside appearance. That is the reality.

December 24, 2018, 5:57 am

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